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GREENBURGH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. was sitting across from the Miami bench to watch one of the toughest blows in Heat history.

Allan Houston’s go-ahead shot with 0.8 seconds left in the deciding Game 5 of a 1999 first-round series is one of the lasting highlights of the fierce playoff rivalry the New York Knicks had with the Heat in the late 1990s. Hardaway’s father starred for Miami, works for the Heat now, and on Friday both were reminded again of that shot.

“It’s very ironic,” his father said at the Knicks’ practice facility. “The years that I played and the rivalry that we had, now it’s coming full circle. My son is going to play for the Knicks. I’m very happy for him. It’s not about me, it’s about him, and it’s about him being happy now and I’m happy for him.”

The elder Hardaway was with the Heat when they played the Knicks in four straight postseasons from 1997-00. His name hangs from the rafters in Miami, and he works for the team as a community liaison and scout.

Wearing a blue dress shirt that matched the Knicks’ colors, his son seemed comfortable now on the other side.

“It’s ironic but not awkward at all,” Hardaway Jr. said. “He’s happy for me whatever team I went to and that’s what a father should do. He should be happy for his son, whatever team it is, whether it’s a rivalry or not. So it’s a great opportunity.”

Hardaway played three seasons for Michigan, helping the Wolverines reach last season’s national championship game, where they lost to Louisville. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 14.3 points for his career and was an All-Big Ten selection the past two seasons.

The family was in a Miami restaurant Thursday to watch the draft, and a pick that left his father with a decision to make.

“When they play against us, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” the elder Hardaway said. “That question has been asked many, many, many times, and I don’t know.”

Looking at his son as an evaluator, Hardaway saw a player who could have done more on the court but resisted the temptation, knowing it wasn’t the best thing for a young Michigan team that had national player of the year Trey Burke.

The newcomer said he’s looking forward to being part of a team that has finally become a playoff contender again for the first time since his father was still a player.

“He just told me to go out there and have fun,” Hardaway Jr. said. “You go out there and have fun, everything else will take care of itself. Don’t try to overdo things that you can’t do. Don’t get out of your comfort zone and don’t let nobody get you out of your comfort zone.”